Spare Times Listings for March 13-19

American Museum of Natural History: ‘Countdown to Zero’ (through July 12) Smallpox is the only human disease to have been eradicated, but what about Guinea worm, polio, malaria and other diseases? This exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Carter Center, examines international efforts to control and wipe out diseases. Daily from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., Central Park West and 79th Street, 212-769-5200, amnh.org.

BRIC and the Brooklyn Historical Society: ‘Mapping Brooklyn’ (through Sept. 6) This exhibition features artworks that incorporate themes of mapping and cartography in historical maps. The artists here are exploring the ways maps represent the practical and metaphoric aspects of life. The show is on view at BRIC House through May 3. Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays to 6 p.m., 647 Fulton Street, at Rockwell Place, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, bricartsmedia.org. The show will also be at the Brooklyn Historical Society through Sept. 6. Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., 128 Pierrepont Street, near Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, 718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org.

Grolier Club: ‘Aldus Manutius: A Legacy More Lasting Than Bronze’ (through April 25) To celebrate the quincentennial of Aldus Manutius’s death, the Grolier Club has assembled over 130 rare books, called Aldines, from that scholar-printer’s Italian Renaissance press. The exhibition explores the ways in which, to this day, Manutius influences how we preserve and disseminate knowledge. As Jennifer Schuessler wrote in The New York Times, “anyone who has ever sat in a cafe, or in the bath, with a paperback owes a debt to Aldus and the small, cleanly designed editions of the secular classics.” 47 East 60th Street, Manhattan, 212-838-6690, grolierclub.org; free.

Morgan Library & Museum: ‘Lincoln Speaks: Words That Transformed a Nation’ (through June 7) This exhibition, which is presented thematically and chronologically, homes in on Abraham Lincoln’s leadership and its relationship to language. In his exhibition review for The New York Times, Neil Genzlinger wrote: “For Lincoln admirers, simply being in the same room with so many artifacts he touched will be a delight. And if they give the exhibition the time it requires, they will certainly come away with a fuller appreciation of the man.” 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, themorgan.org.

Museum of the Moving Image: ‘Matthew Weiner’s “Mad Men” ’ (Saturday through June 14) As one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in recent years nears its finale, “Mad Men” gets the exhibition treatment in this look at the creative process of the series. On display are large-scale sets, such as Don Draper’s office, as well as costumes, art and research material used by the show’s staff. Viewers should expect not only a look behind the scenes of the show, but also, like “Mad Men” itself, a peek into the era it depicts. 35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077, movingimage.us.

New-York Historical Society: ‘Audubon’s Aviary: The Final Flight (Part III of the Complete Flock)’ (through May 10) The third installment of “Audubon’s Aviary: The Complete Flock” comprises nearly 130 plates from the watercolors in John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America” collection, engraved by Robert Havell Jr. The exhibition, as William Grimes wrote in an article for The New York Times, “underlines the natural wealth of the American land, and Audubon’s remarkable talent for producing art as varied as his subject matter.” 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.

New-York Historical Society: ‘Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion’ (through April 19) In his review for The New York Times, Edward Rothstein called this show a “vigorous and imaginative new exhibition,” that includes a look at “how Chinese-American identity came to be, how immigration and discrimination were followed by recrimination and conflict, and how, finally, a people’s trials give way to celebration.” Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday until 8 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.

Red Bull Studios: ‘Alone Together’ (through April 12) The artist Ryder Ripps has created a site-specific work that acts as sculpture and performance. It’s a system that covers two floors: Below are six performers whose computer activity is sent above to a collective, frenzied display. Visitors to the exhibition play the part of voyeurs. Mr. Ripps’s idea is that the Internet creates a paradox in which the more connected we are, the more physically withdrawn we become. Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 7 p.m., 220 West 18th Street, Chelsea, redbullstudios.com/newyork; free.

Gardens

Making Brooklyn Bloom (Saturday) The Brooklyn Botanic Garden hosts its 34th annual celebration of the spring gardening season with a day of free programming. This year’s theme is “Roots of Resilience,” with a focus on sustainability as a tradition rather than a trend. There will be workshops with community gardeners, exhibitions and a keynote address from Onika Abraham, the director of Farm School NYC. Visitors must register when they arrive at the garden. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 990 Washington Avenue, at Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200, bbg.org.

Events

Brooklyn Brain Jam (Sunday) Three entertainment groups from around the city — the Big Quiz Thing, Kevin Geeks Out and Nerd Nite — come together for the second edition of the Brooklyn Brain Jam, a day of cerebral entertainment. You can take part in trivia or a spelling bee, or you can kick back with food truck treats and music. At 1 p.m., Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, Gowanus, Brooklyn, littlefieldnyc.com.

The Golden Dragon Acrobats (Saturday) These acrobats bring China’s traditional art form to the stage with a show that highlights costumes, theatrical acrobatics and music both ancient and contemporary. At 2 p.m., Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn College, Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues, Flatbush, 718-951-4500, brooklyncenter.org.

Spoken Word

David Blaine (Monday) Known for his endurance stunts, many of them televised, Mr. Blaine will open the spring season of LIVE From the NYPL. This event will be more on the open-air side of things, unlike a previous outing in which he was buried alive for a week. He will be joined in conversation by Paul Holdengräber, director of this series. At 7 p.m., Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, New York Public Library, 917-275-6975, nypl.org/locations/schwarzman.

Barney Frank (Tuesday) Mr. Frank, the longtime Democratic representative from Massachusetts, discusses his autobiography, “Frank: A Life in Politics From the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage.” In the book, Mr. Frank writes about how he managed to have a long, effective career in politics while reconciling his homosexuality and navigating combative relationships in Washington. At 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 East 17th Street, 212-253-0810, barnesandnoble.com.

Kazuo Ishiguro and Caryl Phillips (Wednesday and Thursday) Next week brings two opportunities to hear Mr. Ishiguro read from and discuss his new novel, “The Buried Giant,” his latest take on themes of love, loss and memory. On Wednesday at 7 p.m., he’ll be joined by Caryl Phillips, whose recently released novel, “The Lost Child,” about orphans and outcasts, was inspired by “Wuthering Heights,” at the 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, 212-415-5500, 92y.org. On Thursday at 12:30 p.m., Mr. Ishiguro will discuss and sign his book farther south, at the Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway, at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, strandbooks.com.

Walking Tours

Flatiron District Walking Tour (Sundays) This free tour meets at 11 a.m. on the southwest corner of Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street and Broadway, in front of the William Seward statue. Sponsored by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership; discoverflatiron.org.

The Ghosts of Grand Central (Saturdays) This tour offers shelter from the cold, though discovering the ghosts of Grand Central Terminal may bring a different sort of chill. There will be history of the Vanderbilts, as well as August Belmont, Franklin Roosevelt and his dog, Fala. The tour meets west of the M.T.A. information booth under the four-faced clock in the station’s Grand Concourse. (Through April 25.) At 7:30 p.m., 646-493-7092, ghostsofny.com.

History of Wall Street Tour (Weekdays) Stops on this tour, led by Wall Street Walks, include the New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, the Wall Street Bull, and ground zero and the Sept. 11 memorial. The tours last 90 minutes and begin at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (Also at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.) More details: wallstreetwalks.com.

Irish New York (Saturday and Sunday) Big Onion Walking Tours celebrates St. Patrick’s Day a bit early with this look at the former Little Ireland on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Stops include the Five Points, New York’s first Catholic church and places associated with Tammany Hall. The tour, starting on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon, meets at St. Paul’s Chapel, Broadway at Fulton Street, Lower Manhattan, 888-606-9255, bigonion.com.

L.G.B.T. Chelsea Gallery Tour (Saturday) This tour includes stops, seven in all, at Chelsea galleries with works by gay and lesbian artists. The artists Bradley Wester and Tania Kravath will speak with the tour group at the galleries that show their work. The tour meets at 1 p.m. at 526 West 26th Street; 212-946-1548, nygallerytours.com.

Opening the Way: A Women’s History Walk (Sundays) This tour covers the history of Manhattan and the influence women had in its development. The women include writers, abolitionists and suffragists from a broad range of time periods. The tour, which makes 21 stops, is presented by Women’s eNews. It was researched by Betsy Wade, a former editor at The New York Times, and the historian James Boylan. Registration is required. At 11 a.m., 6 Barclay Street, 212-244-1720, womensenews.org/openingtheway; free.

Union Square: Crossroads of New York (Saturdays) Sponsored by the Union Square Partnership, this free year-round tour focuses on the area’s political and social histories. The walk, led by guides from Big Onion Walking Tours, meets at 2 p.m. by the statue of Lincoln in Union Square Park, near the 16th Street transverse. 212-517-1826, unionsquarenyc.org. JOSHUA BARONE

Information on events for possible inclusion in Spare Times should be sent to weekend@nytimes.com by Monday at 5 p.m. for publication that week. Longer versions of Around Town and For Children listings are in a searchable guide at nytimes.com/events.